Oden’s Extra Stark Original portion snus, reviewing the second flavor in the “Strongest snus in the world” line!

Greetings Snustopians!

I was sitting in my office this weekend here in beautiful Skruf Square, pouring over some of the past reviews we’ve done together, when I had realized that we haven’t reviewed an Extra Strong / Sterk / Stark portion snus brand in quite awhile! If memory serves me correctly, the last one we reviewed was Oden’s Cinnamon or Kanel so I thought to myself, there’s been a lot of talk out there on the other Oden’s Extra Strong portion flavors but not too much on Extra Strong Original portion! Until today!

Today we’ll be touring thru the third flavor in the Oden’s Extra Strong portion line, Original. I know what you’re thinking. “Hey Snus Guy, how could a relatively new brand of snus have an original flavor? Wasn’t Cinnamon the first flavor out?” Well, while I’m not entirely sure that Cinnamon was indeed the first flavor Gajane introduced in the Extra Strong portion line, I can shed a little light on the whole “Original” flavor name.

You see, in the beginning, snus manufacturers introduced snus as simply “snus”. Everyone knew that the flavor would inherently be of tobacco, salt and possibly bergamot. For example, Ettan, one of the oldest snus brands, first introduced snus back in 1822 and was flavored with just tobacco, salt and water. As snus began to evolve into the flavor assortment it is today, many manufacturers that began to add flavoring to their original recipes, needed to make a distinction between the “Original” flavor and its new flavor mixes. Thus, the “Original” flavor moniker was born. So, “original” on some cans of snus simply means plain tobacco flavor with a bit of salt. This is the case with Oden’s Extra Strong Original portion snus! I know, I took the long way to answer the question but, I hope this clears any confusion up. Back to the review!

As I said in the beginning Oden’s Extra Strong Original portion snus is another Extra Strong snus made by the folks at Gajane. The portions are made with the same tea bag material that Gajane uses in all its portion snus but the Original portions are a bit different than the Cinnamon portions. While the Cinnamon and Licorice portions seem to be overly wet, the Original portions are not. They are all classed as regular type portions which, as you all remember, go thru the additional wetting step to add a bit more moisture and flavor to the snus but, unlike its brothers, are not as wet. This makes Original’s portions stay in place longer but, delays the flavor release. Each portion of Extra Strong Original has a little less than 1 gram of snus and there are 24 portions in each can.

The Nicotine content in Extra Strong Original is the typical 17 mg per portion that all of Oden’s Extra Strong portions have making it still, to date, the strongest snus in the world! As I explained in the Oden’s Extra Strong Cinnamon, although there is a high amount of Nicotine in the Oden’s Extra Strong line, I really didn’t get the woozy, head spinning feeling one would expect with a high Nicotine snus. Rather, I got a real sense of calming with it! Although I still don’t recommend chain snusing it!

The can that Oden’s Extra Strong Original comes in is the same black plastic can that Cinnamon comes in with the Oden’s logo engraved on the lid. Unfortunately, there is no used portion compartment in the lid but, the engraving is pretty cool looking! I have noticed that the portions in Oden’s Original do tend to be inconsistently filled. What I mean is that some of the portions seem to have less snus in them. If I had to estimate a percentage of portions that are smaller, I’d guess probably around 10%. It may not be an issue with most Snustopians but, I figured I let everyone know!

The mouth feel with the portions are pretty comfortable no matter how they are filled. I’ve had a portion in for over 2 ½ hours with very little discomfort. Unlike Extra Strong Cinnamon, there is virtually no sliding or excess dripping of the snus with Original! Next up, the flavor!

I was actually pretty surprised with the flavor in Oden’s Extra Strong Original! “Surprised Snus Guy, you? We don’t believe it!” Yes, I know there is not too much that can surprise me but, Original did just that! But not like you would expect. While the flavor of Extra Strong Original is just as one would expect a snus that’s flavor is labeled “Original” would be, which is plainly tobacco and salt, it was the intensity of the flavor that actually surprised me!

The flavor is basic. By basic I mean just pure tobacco flavor with a salty element and a hint of black pepper but, unlike the Cinnamon, or even Licorice, where the flavor is immediate and intense, the flavor of Original is subtle and quite mellow. But just because the flavor is subtle, doesn’t mean it its short lived! The flavor seems to last for a long time! I’ve let a portion sit for over 3 ½ hours before the flavor died out. I still recommend the 2 ½ hour max for the best experience with flavor and comfort! So, what would go well to drink with Extra Strong Original? Let’s take a look.

As you may remember from our trip thru Oden’s Extra Strong Cinnamon (Kanel), I was a bit timid in trying one of my staple drinks, Monster Energy drink, so I decided to give it another go with the Original. While it still seemed to raise my heart rate a bit, the flavor was too strong for the snus. It seemed to drown out the subtle tobacco flavor. I got the same thing with my other staple, Diet Coke. I next tried a Black iced tea and it seemed to do the same thing! Here’s where I got confused. In all my time reviewing snus, one of these three drinks would always prevail against a lightly flavored snus. I gave one more thing a shot.

I normally drink coffee hot with a bit of sugar. I tried it with Original and I did taste a bit more of the tobacco flavor but, it’s beginning to turn warm outside here in Snustopia so, I tried it with an iced coffee. Wow! What a difference! The iced coffee I tried it with was just a plain Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffee with a bit of sugar but it really brought out the tobacco flavor and the bit of sugar helped to balance out the salt. If you’ve never tried an iced coffee with a tobacco flavored snus, I highly recommend you try it, especially with Extra Strong Original.

Another great pairing I found with Oden’s Extra Strong Original portion snus was iced Green tea. Not the flavored Green Teas that are out there, like Sobe or Arizona, just plain iced green tea. Since the tobacco flavor is light in Oden’s Extra Strong Original and the tea flavor is light in the green tea, both helped to enhance each other’s flavors.

So what’s my overall recommendation for Oden’s Extra Strong Original portion snus, you may ask? Well Snustopians, my overall recommendation is this: Oden’s Extra Strong Original portion snus is indeed just as strong as its siblings and has the same Nicotine effects as they do as well. There’s no head spins like you would expect from a snus with the highest Nicotine content on the market. Knowing this, I recommend that Snustopians who are big fans of the Extra Strong / Sterk / Stark snus give Oden’s Extra Strong Original a try but be warned, unlike it’s flavored siblings, Original’s flavor is pretty subtle.

Snustopians that want to try their hand at the Extra Strong / Sterk / Stark snus, but are a bit standoffish due to the effects, will like Oden’s Extra Strong Original because the Nicotine effects are not that strong. First time Snustopians, or Snustopians that have not yet strayed into snus with Nicotine contents over 9 mg, may want to consider starting off gradually and may find Oden’s Extra Strong Original much too strong to start the next level in the snus saga!

Speaking of which, like I did in the Oden’s Extra Strong Cinnamon review, I strongly advise against chain snusing Oden’s Extra Strong Original! As I did in the Cinnamon review, I sacrificed myself for all Snustopians and can tell you first hand; this is not a good idea! Even though there are no head spins, there can be some stomach issues related to using a high Nicotine snus back to back for a day so, please exercise caution when using Oden’s Extra Strong Original portion as well as any high Nicotine snus! I know, I know, that sounded like a public service message but, my Ministry of Information insisted on making sure we keep our fellow Snustopians informed!

Oden’s Extra Strong Original portion snus averages around $3.42 USD at Snustopia’s favorite place to buy snus, The Northerner. The Northerner carries all of Gajane’s brands along with all your other favorites and offer fast delivery and great customer service! If it’s your first time purchasing snus from them, just click on the banner to the right, and get 10% off your order! Just tell ‘em That Snus Guy sent you!

Well Snustopians, I hope you enjoyed our tour of Oden’s Extra Strong Original portion snus and found it fun and informative. I look forward to hearing your comments and questions and look forward to answering them as soon as I can!

As always Snustopians, until our next review,

Happy Snusing!

That Snus Guy

General Silver portion snus, a strong review of a mild snus brand!

Welcome fellow Snustopians!

It’s been a pretty stressful week here in Snustopia and I’ve been using mostly Extra Stark snus to try and cope with everything that’s been going on! Why do I bring this up, you may ask? It’s because of all the Extra Stark snus I’ve used throughout the day that led me to try General Silver portion snus. “Hey Snus Guy, why would high Nicotine snus make you try General Silver?” Good question! Let’s begin our trip thru General Silver portion snus and you’ll understand why and possibly a few other things you may not know about General snus overall!

General Silver portion snus is another snus made by the fine folks at Swedish Match AB and is a regular type portion snus. As you all remember, regular portions go thru the additional step in the manufacturing process which adds a bit more moisture to the portion material and initial flavor to the snus itself. The portion material is the same material that is used in all General snus brands and is comfortable in the lip. The first unique thing about General Silver is the fact that that the portions are a bit less moist that it’s other regular type siblings. The difference in moisture levels is minute so it has no effect in flavor or comfort but, I just felt it should be known. I’ve had a portion in for over 2 ½ hours with no discomfort but, the portion did begin to slide at that time mark so, I recommend a 2 hour max!

The portions have about 1 gram of snus each and there are 24 portions in each can. The cans are made of black plastic and have the compartment for used portions in the lid. You may notice something different about the lid though. Actually, there’s something new about most of the lids in the General line!

If you’re anything like me, I just can’t bring myself to throw away my empty cans! Call it OCD or being a Pack Rat but, no matter what it is, I just can’t bring myself to do it. In this case I’m glad I do keep them! If you look at the lid for the used portion compartment, you’ll see the change. In the past, all General cans had the General logo embossed in the lid. Recently, Swedish Match changed the embossing on all cans, with Onyx being the exception, to labels. While there are some Snustopians that may not like the change, I personally like it! The embossed lids, while they do give the can a bit of elegance, can be hard to see and read since the embossing is the same color as the lid. The new labels make the can stand out more and are easier to read! “Ok Professor Snus Can! Less can review, more snus review already!” Right! Back to the snus!

Since we’re still at the part of the review that deals with the portions themselves, let’s discuss the Nicotine content. As I said above, I’d been using strong snus throughout the day for the better part of the past 3 weeks to help me cope with the chaos going on here. At night, I wanted to back off the strong snus so, I reached for my General Original can and accidently grabbed the Silver. What made me check the can was that after the second portion, I really didn’t have that jittery feeling I have when I use a General Original portion after using all those Extra Stark portions throughout the day! The reason is because General Silver portion snus has 6 mg of Nicotine per portion! I know, long way around the subject but, it’ll make more sense at the end of the review!

“But Snus Guy, how could two portions that have the same amount of snus have different Nicotine contents?” Great question! The reason for this is that General Silver actually has less tobacco than say General Original. You see, the Nicotine is in the tobacco. I know everyone knows that but, in order to make a regular type portion that has less Nicotine; you need to use less tobacco. You just can’t take the Nicotine out of the tobacco like you can take the caffeine out of coffee. To maintain the same size and weight, you have to add a filler of some sort. In Swedish snus, the filler needs to be food grade in order to maintain the strict Swedish food inspections that snus must pass.

In General Silver, the filler is vegetable fiber. Now, don’t get worried that there is grated Artichoke or pulverized potatoes in it or that they are trying to pull something! In fact, most Nicotine free snus like Onico or Elixyr Free use vegetable fibers like Sugar Beet or Carrot fibers as fillers. It’s pretty common and it doesn’t change the flavor in any way. I’m on my 3rd can and I wouldn’t know it unless I read about it so, trust me, I wouldn’t steer my fellow Snustopians wrong! Now, let’s go on to the flavor!

Swedish Match describes the flavor of General Silver as “A slightly peppery snus with hints of citrus zest and balanced tobacco notes.” I taste something different. Let’s begin with the scent of the snus right out of the can. General Silver is another snus brand which does not have a strong, ammonia type of smell. Actually, the scent I get out of the can is very similar to General Original portion which is an earthy tobacco scent. The taste, on the other hand, is almost the opposite of what Swedish Match describes.

The flavors I get are predominate tobacco taste with subtle hints of pepper and citrus. Actually, the citrus is almost nonexistent. The Tobacco, pepper and salt take center stage with General Silver. The only similar flavor I can compare it to would be a peanut shell! “Peanut shell, Snus Guy? Nobody eats peanut shells!” Actually, some folks do and prior to my allergy, I was one of them. I used to eat peanuts, shell and all! That’s the flavor of General Silver. An earthy tobacco taste with salt and a little pepper flavor. The flavor does last a good bit of time but can go bitter after 2 ½ hours so, I still recommend a 2 hour max. Ok, what drinks go well with it? Let’s take a look!

Like I said in the beginning, I used General Silver as an end of day snus since I was using Extra Sterk snus during the day so, I decided to first give General Silver a try with some decaffeinated drinks. First up was coffee. Decaf coffee went really well with Silver. The coffee helped to bring out the tobacco flavors while the snus took some of the bitterness out of the coffee. Decaf iced tea went well too and actually brought out a bit of the citrus flavor. Not much but a bit. Believe it or not, Monster Energy went really well with Silver. The two flavors complimented each other but the best thing was the low Nicotine content in the snus didn’t really give me that nervous feeling I would normally get with a snus that has a higher Nicotine content. The drink I recommend though is Decaf or caffeinated coffee. So now, let’s go to the overall recommendations!

My overall recommendation for General Silver portion snus Snustopians is this; Since General Silver is a lower Nicotine content snus in a regular sized portion, Snustopians looking for a true Swedish snus to begin with would do well in trying a can of Silver. Its lower Nicotine content will allow you to ease into Swedish snus. Snustopians that are like me, using Extra Sterk snus throughout the day and looking for a weaker snus to relax with at night that still has a true tobacco flavor, will like General Silver as well. On the other hand, Snustopians that like the kick of the standard 8 to 12 mg of Nicotine in a snus or, fans of the Extra Stark/Sterk/Strong snus brands will probably find General Silver much too weak but, I’ll leave that decision up to you!

Currently, General Silver is only available in Sweden thru online snus shops. I say this because most General snus is beginning to become available in tobacco shops in the US but General Silver remains like General Onyx and only available online. Snustopia’s favorite snus shop, The Northerner, carries General Silver for about $3.71 a can and if this is your first time purchasing from them, just click on the banner to the right and get 10% off your first order! I encourage all new Snustopians to give General Silver and The Northerner a try! Just tell them That Snus Guy sent you!

Well Snustopians, I hope you enjoyed our tour of General Silver portion snus by Swedish Match AB and found it fun and informative. I look forward to reading and answering all your questions and comments and will answer them as soon as I can!

Until our next review, as always,

Happy Snusing!

That Snus Guy

Skruf Tranbär (Cranberry) portion snus, reviewing a snus with a surprising twist!

Greetings Snustopians!

Today I thought we would review another fruit flavored snus that really threw me when I was beginning my foray into the wonderful world of Swedish snus, Skruf Cranberry or Tranbär. Why did it throw me, you ask? The answer is simple really. When I was doing research for my first order of Swedish snus, the descriptions that most online snus shops had back then were not very clear on what flavor the snus actually was.

The reason for this, as I have said in the past, is the fact that Americans were just beginning to discover Swedish snus and, most online shops were in Sweden. Therefore, the descriptions were just translated from Swedish to English and some of the descriptors would be lost or, not really make sense. Skruf Cranberry was, in some shops, a victim of this. So, I decided that it was time that this snus had a proper review so all Snustopians could make an informed decision when making their purchases! So, without further delay, let’s review Skruf Tranbär (Cranberry) portion snus.

Skruf Cranberry is another snus made by the folks at Skruf AB. It is a regular portion type snus which, as you remember, goes thru the additional wetting step to add a bit more moisture and flavor. “Hey Snus Guy, I thought that Skruf portion snus is a bit less wet when it comes to the portions?” You’re correct! Skruf’s additional wetting process does add less additional moisture because the snus inside is a bit more moist than most. It’s a pretty unique process which makes the portion material a bit more comfortable in the lip and lets the flavor last quite a bit longer! The portion material is the same tea bag type material that Skruf uses in all of its portion snus and also adds to the comfortable feel. I’ve had a portion in for over 3 hours with very little discomfort. Skruf Cranberry also has 9 mg of Nicotine per portion and there are 24, one gram portions in each can.

The can its self is also the same white plastic can that Skruf uses for all its portion snus and also has a compartment on the main lid for used portions. The label is clear and covers the gap between the can and the lid to keep air out. You may notice that the word “Tranbär” actually translates into “Cranberries” unlike other snus that describes the flavor as “cranberry” but has another word on the label. There is a really cool thing with all Skruf labels though! “Are you about to go into story telling mode Snus Guy?” Actually, yes I am because this is a trick that I learned from another Snustopian and I promised I’d let everyone know about it!

If you’re like me, I seem to have a fetish about making sure the top and bottom of my snus cans are lined up. I think it’s due to the fact that most labels on snus cans have either graphics or lettering that extend over the point where the lid meets the can. For example, General Snus cans have their logo extend past the top and up the edge of the lid and it bugs me when they are not aligned. Skruf, on the other hand, doesn’t. But it does have an alignment point! If you look at the barcode, at the upper right, you’ll see an arrow. On the stripe that’s on the edge of the lid, you’ll see a white arrow. Just align the two tips and presto, the lid and the can are in perfect alignment! I know, my OCD is beginning to show so, let’s continue on with the flavor of Skruf Cranberry!

Skruf Tranbär (Cranberry) really does taste like cranberries. In actuality, it has the taste of Cranberry juice. If you have ever had fresh cranberries straight from the field, you know that they are pretty sour and bitter tasting. So, to say that Skruf Cranberry tastes just like fresh cranberries would not be completely accurate. On the other hand, to say that it tastes like cranberries that grandma serves at Thanksgiving would be just as inaccurate. I don’t know about you Snustopians but, my grandma was a staunch believer in the “canned” variety and Skruf Cranberry tastes nothing like that! “So, what are you driving at Snus Guy? What does Skruf Cranberry taste like?” Like I said, Cranberry juice would be the most accurate taste I can give.

I say cranberry juice because I believe this would be the midpoint of what everyone would think cranberries taste like. Not overly tart and lightly sweet. Not everyone has had the opportunity to taste a “fresh from the field” cranberry and I know that, at least once in your lives, you have had the canned cranberry glop. Almost everyone has had Cranberry Juice in one form or another and the taste of Skruf Cranberry is pretty close to it. What I get is a cranberry juice flavor with some peppery notes which I attribute to the tobacco. It’s not an “in your face” cranberry flavor like Offroad Cranberry, it’s a mild flavor that works really well with the tobacco. The flavor also lasts a pretty long time as well. I’ve had a portion in for about 3 hours before the flavor went a bit off. I’d recommend a 2 hour max for the best feel and flavor enjoyment. The really unique thing I found with Skruf Cranberry though, is the smell!

No, I don’t mean that Skruf Cranberry stinks or smells bad. On the contrary, it smells pretty good but there are some unique qualities in it. For example, when I first opened a can of Skruf Cranberry straight from the fridge, I got a pretty pleasant cranberry smell with very little of the tobacco or ammonia smell that’s typical of Swedish snus in general. As the can sat out at room temperature for a few hours, the scent changed to cranberry with a hint of a banana. “Snus Guy, have you been chain snusing Oden’s ES again? Banana smells in a cranberry flavored snus?” I know it sounds a bit weird but, there is a banana type scent that comes out after the snus sits out for a couple of hours. It doesn’t change the flavor in any way and, the combination of the two scents is actually quite nice. What I didn’t smell, even after leaving the can out for 24 hours, was Ammonia! Now that you know the flavor and scents of Skruf Cranberry portion snus, let’s take a look at what to drink with it.

Since we all know that I don’t drink alcoholic beverages, I tried Skruf Cranberry with my usual staple drinks, Diet Coke, Monster Energy Drink and Iced Tea. All three went really well, with the Monster taking first place but, I did want to see how the snus would fare with a couple of alcoholic beverages so; I enlisted the help of a few members of the Ministry Of Information to lend a hand or, a tongue! First up was a drink known as “Sex on the Beach” but I’ve known it as a Vodka and cranberry. According to the members of MOI, it was the perfect pairing! The snus helped to add another peppery dimension to the drink and the Vodka helped to enhance the true flavor of the snus. I also had them try Skruf Cranberry with beer.

Since it’s one of the most commonly consumed alcoholic drinks, I wanted to see how Skruf Cranberry would do with certain beers so, I had them try a plain IPA and it did well but it didn’t do too well with darker beers like porters or stouts, like Guinness. The lighter beers like IPA’s let the cranberry shine thru and enhance the flowery notes in the beer while with the stronger beers like Guinness, it completely overpowered the snus. My recommendations for drinks go to Monster Energy, iced tea, Vodka and Cranberry and lighter beers like IPA’s and ales.

So, my overall recommendation for Skruf Tranbär (Cranberry) Snustopians is this; New Snustopians looking for a cranberry snus to add to their first order will enjoy Skruf Cranberry due to its mild taste and 9 mg of Nicotine. Snustopians that are looking for a snus to add to their current rotation that has a true cranberry flavor but not overly sweet or synthetic tasting will like Skruf Cranberry as well. Fans of the Extra Strong/Sterk/Stark race will probably like the flavor but will miss the Nicotine kick since Skruf Cranberry is not like Skruf Stark in its Nicotine levels but, I will leave the decision up to you. At approximately $3.72 USD at Snustopia’s favorite place to buy snus, The Northerner, you really can’t go wrong by adding a can or two to your order. And remember, if you’re a first time customer, you can get 10% off by clicking on the banner to the right! Just tell em’ That Snus Guy sent you!

Well my fellow Snustopians, I hope you enjoyed our tour thru Skruf Tranbär (Cranberry) portion snus and found it fun and informative. I look forward to reading and answering any questions, comments or suggestions you may have. I will try to answer them as quickly as I can!

As always, Happy Snusing!

That Snus Guy